He Could Have Had it All
by Gabriel Sharpe
Summary: Vanilla wonders if Tails realizes he can still have it all. I don't own Sonic. Sonic is the property of Sega, and is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a 5 years since Eggman had given up villainy and peace has once again been known across the land. It was uneasy at first, and in many parts it is still uneasy. For the privileged few who brought about the peace, the war, the battles, still haunted their memories from time to time. What the masses did not know was that it inevitably fell to one twin tailed flying fox's shoulders. The entire fate of the galaxy, and the lives of everyone in it, hung in the balance for a precious moment as he had to kill the one creature who took his heart and showed him love. True love. Love that was taken away by the pull of a trigger.

That day, was 5 years before Eggman called a truce.

What came of him afterwards was completely different from before. Every battle since then, when a new threat came, the twin tailed Fox fought with a fierceness that had never been seen before. No one, not even Eggman himself, could have ever imagined this once optimistic creature to show such bravery and merciless tenacity. The Fox's best friend, the fastest thing alive, could see the pain that claimed his friend, his brother, his partner. Even when the battles finally stopped, there was a part of the Fox's mind that was still at the controls, pulling the trigger, watching in horror as he did the right thing.

The cost for saving the galaxy was one Seedrian, one cannon, and the self respect of one Miles "Tails" Prower.

Some would consider that a bargain.

After the battles finally came to a stop and peace came, many went about their separate ways.

Sonic finally decided to "settle down" by means of he started a relationship with Amy. There was no way to contain the hedgehog and he needed his time alone. Amy understood that and knew that Sonic wasn't going to be having affair's. Sonic of course wouldn't do that, even if he could, he would have to face the wrath of Amy's hammer. A fate no man, woman, or child wants to face.

No one really knew what happened to Rouge, only that she's still as free spirited and jewel stealing individual as before. Sometimes she is seen with Knuckles, who keeps the Master Emerald protected as always. It's very hard to smuggle an emerald of that size in her breast plate armor.

Shadow of course was never heard from, as well as Eggman. Very few even cared that he was gone. Good riddance in the people's opinion.

Vanilla, Cream, and Cheese all lived in their home as a happy house hold. Well, almost happy. Cream was traumatized by the war, though she fought bravely and was more of a medic than a soldier. Cream was still as youthful and as cheerful as before, though when it comes to the anniversary of major battles, she quiets down and would rather go for long walks and spend time in the park. Vanilla was doing the best she could to give her daughter every opportunity to adjust to "normal" life.

There was one thing on Vanilla's mind however: Tails himself. Tails no longer wanted to build an Engineering school. Instead he settled quite happily doing what he does best: being the repairman, the inventor, the engineer, and the mechanic. There was one noticeable difference: Tails became a hermit both figuratively and literally.

He rarely spoke anyone, rarely went out, rarely spent any time away from his work bench. He would eat, sleep, clean himself up, but he would resort to solitary confinement if he could help it. Cosmo's death still plagued his mind, and everyone knew it.

Many have tried to shorten his distant personality; but if Sonic, the one who Tails called a brother, couldn't get close to him, no one had a prayer.

Vanilla was thinking that very thought when she was cleaning up her house. Cream was away with Amy and Sonic, leaving the mother all by herself. She hummed softly and was lost in the thought of how she could get her old Tails back.

Wait. **Her** Tails? When did she think that he was hers? Even before Chaos Control took over, Vanilla had known of Tails. In fact, Sonic and Tails were hero's. She remembered one battle very clearly, one that made her admire the young fox.

She was caught in the cross fire and Tails got her out. He then had to take off in his biplane to dog fight against impossible odds against dozens of missiles and robots. Sonic took care of Eggman, Tails was always in support.

Returning to the task at hand, she realized that the radio fell from it's place to the floor. Needless to say, she heard something break. Vanilla instantly yelped as she realized what had happened. Normally she wouldn't have minded, this radio however was special. It was the last gift her daughter's father gave her. It was no longer in production and finding a replacement would be impossible. A thought soon crossed her mind.

Walking to the phone, she dialed Tails' number. She hesitated however when it came to hitting the send button. Taking a deep breath, she hit the button and heard the phone dialing. It was followed by the dial tones as the call was connecting. After three rings, she heard the distinguishable sounds of someone picking up the phone.

"Tails Repair Services. Tails speaking."

Vanilla took a quick breath as the sound of his voice echoed throughout her body. "Hi Tails, it's Vanilla."

There was a slight pause as she heard the sounds of something hitting a table. He must have been doing something. "Oh hi Ma'am. How are you?"

She smiled as he sounded happy. Maybe her job wouldn't be so hard after all. "I'm doing okay. I hate to bother you on such short notice, but would you mind doing a repair job for me?"

"It's no problem. You can swing by my shop any time and I'll take care of it right away."

This made her heart soar. Wait? Why was her blood racing now?

"Thanks Tails! You're the best!"

She didn't realize how enthusiastic she just sounded, but she honestly couldn't care less at the moment. Vanilla needed to see Tails. She needed to know that he was alright. She had to know if there was possibly room for someone to get him to open up, even if it was just for a little bit. She didn't know why it was important for her, only that it was. When she heard his reply, it didn't sound like he was convinced he was the best.

"You're welcome. See you soon."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Since two people favorited, three people following, and hundreds of you saw this, I'm gonna take that as a sign that this story is worth continuing. Please don't forget that if you like it, dislike it, hate it, love it, and want to pick it apart due to my mistakes, please leave a review. Leave a good enough one and I'll respond personally!**

Vanilla hung up after saying bye. For some reason, she wanted to look perfect. She took a shower, did her nails, her makeup, her toes, her fur, and hair. She then made her way to the closet to get dressed. She was usually conservative in the way of her dress. There were only two exceptions. She had a black lace bra and matching panties which she put on.

Putting on her dress, her gloves, her vest, her shoes, and her little scarf tie, she gazed at the mirror and gave herself a little twirl. For reasons unknown, she felt like she was going on a date. This wasn't a date though, it was a simple repair job.

If it was a simple one, why was she so nervous then?

Taking her purse and putting the radio in it, she locked up her house and started walking the distance to Tails' shop. Tails lived in a remote airfield that was once used as the HQ for Sonic and the gang. It had the proper facilities needed for a proper base. Tails' domain was the hanger. It wasn't a huge one, but it had enough room and equipment to fix and build anything and everything. When he wasn't fighting, that was where Tails would be.

When the war ended, the entire base was given to Tails. Everyone knew that Tails needed time and space, which Tails appreciated and the others respected. It was not hard to find anymore since signs pointed to the base. Everyone went to Tails for something, even if it was just for something as minor as restitching a glove. Vanilla knew why though. They missed the flying fox, and he rarely shows his face anymore.

When she got to the hanger, she opened the door and saw Tails eating a chili dog. Sonic and Tails had an obsession over the product, and no one really knew why. That was Sonic's and Tails' little secret. When he looked up, Vanilla saw the smile on his face. It was physically a smile, but Vanilla lived long enough to know that there was nothing behind it. It was merely out of professional courtesy.

"Hi Tails."

Vanilla's voice rang throughout the hanger. It was very much like Cream's; cheerful and full of life and love, only more mature.

"Hi Ma'am. Be right with you."

Tails' voice however was empty, though respectful. Vanilla could see right through it; anyone could really. After finishing the last of his meal, he washed his hands and he walked up to the counter.

"How can I help you?"

Vanilla looked at Tails and finally got a good look at him. He wore a mechanic's uniform that covered most of his body, though his tails were of course free to move about at their leisure. He had also grown. No longer was he small and cuddly, but he developed into a man. His golden fur covered his body, but she could tell that her man had something underneath it all.

"_My man? What is going on with me?" _

Vanilla asked herself in her head. Not since her daughter's father left those many years ago had she felt so strongly for anyone.

"I was wondering if you would be able to fix this."

Vanilla pulled out the radio and set it on the counter in front of Tails. Taking a quick look at it, he noticed that the casing wasn't damaged. Turning it on, it sounded like a symphony of crying babies with a crescendo of nails on a chalk board and a running line of white noise. Needless to say, it almost made their ears bleed.

"That's normal."

Vanilla looked up at Tails. She actually heard sarcasm coming form his lips. She couldn't help herself from looking surprised and then giggle like a little school girl. Tails' poker face didn't break as he grabbed a screwdriver and started opening it up. His eyes darted amongst the internal components as he could see that some of the components were broken.

"It looks like some of the guts were worn due to time. Wouldn't you rather get another radio?"

Tails' question was innocent, but Vanilla shook her head as she frowned.

"That's the only thing I have of Cream's father other than Cream herself."

Looking up at her, his eyes locked onto hers. The look on her face was sad, and Tails knew that he couldn't turn down the job. The radio could be repaired, but it would take a while to get all the parts he would need.

"I understand." Tails said calmly, looking down at the radio. "Tell you what. Let me see what needs to be done and you can make your decision."

Vanilla smiled at the thought, though another thought came to mind. That thought came out of her lips faster than she could tell her mouth to shut up. "Would you mind if I watched you?"

Tails looked at her and he thought about it. It wasn't the first time that anyone asked to spend time with him alone. At first he wanted to tell her that he does mind since he has no idea how long it would take. However, something in his head told him that it was okay.

"Sure, come on back."

Vanilla rounded the corner and she followed Tails to his work bench. There was a window right above it and directly outside of it was a tree. She knew that he had Cosmo's seed with him and that he planted it. It wouldn't be Cosmo, just a tree.

Sitting down at the bench, Tails got to work. Sitting down on a nearby chair, she watched his eyes and his hands work their magic. His fingers delicately moved about the radio and he sat in silence as he took every board and component out of it. When he completely took the radio apart, he couldn't help but ask,

"This is an old radio. Where did you get it?"

Vanilla heard Tails' question and she remembered the events clearly.

"Cream's father gave that to me so I could listen to my music where ever I was. It was around that time when Cream was first known to exist within me. I told him and at first he was full of love and life. And the next..."

Vanilla's breath deepened as Tails listened to her story while he was working.

"The next thing I knew he got really short with me. He no longer wanted to be seen in public around me and realized he didn't want to be tied down. I told him to get out of my house and that I never wanted to see him again. Later that night, I heard on the radio that he got killed in an accident."

Tails' hand froze to where they were and he looked at Vanilla. Inside his head, things started to click as a question asked by everyone was answered. He now knew why Cream didn't know her father. For years, Tails had been a father figure to Cream. He always took care of her. This earned the affection of her mother.

Vanilla however started to silently weep; Tails didn't know what to say. Deciding that it was best to be silent, he looked down at the radio and looked at all of the components. It was going to be a difficult job, but now he had a challenge. A challenge he freely accepted. Emphasis on the word "freely."

"This is going to take some work, but I can get the parts to make it work again."

Vanilla looked at Tails and she felt like a fool. Here she was trying to get Tails to open up to her and here she was opening up to him. She grabbed her purse to get a tissue, but she found that she didn't have any. One appeared in front of her with Tails holding onto it. She thanked him as she wiped her tears away from her eyes.

"Thanks Tails. How much will it cost you?"

Tails raised his hand and shook his head. "There is not charge Ma'am. This one's on me."

Nodding slowly, she smiled at him and she got a smile back from him. It was still empty, but she didn't care at the moment. She openly weeped in front of another man, and it didn't look like he thought any less of her.

"I can send it back to you by the end of the week."

"_The end of the week!"_

Vanilla's desire to get Tails allowed her to think quickly.

"It's Cream's birthday at the end of the week. We're having a party and food and cake. Everyone's coming, including Knuckles if you can believe it!"

Tails deadpan face was her response. Inside his mind was racing. Cream was like a daughter to him and he didn't show up to Cream's last birthday party. His entire life was confided to the base. He rarely stepped outside it's walls since he set up shop.

"Please Tails."

Vanilla put her hand on Tails' shoulder. Tails looked into her eyes and he knew that he couldn't say no to her.

"I won't be able to stay long."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I figured I would respond openly to GingaNinja977's question since some others may be asking the same thing. After much thought, this story will not turn into a lemon.**

Vanilla was proud of her accomplishment. After countless hours of getting all of the preparations in order, she finally had a house worthy of her daughter's birthday. The food was cooked, the house was cleaned, the decorations were in place, and the guests were starting to flow in. She invited everyone who Cream considered a friend, which was just about everyone she knew. Vanilla remained in the background so the day was entirely focused on Cream.

When the party was in full swing, she noticed one person missing: Tails. He told her that he would show up, and he doesn't break his word. The younger fox was plaguing at her mind. She had to admit it, she cared more deeply for him than she first thought. She heard from Cream how much Tails had looked out for her. She heard how Cream didn't like him as a boyfriend but as a father. She heard how when it comes down to it Tails would do anything for anybody.

"_Will he do the same for me?"_

"This is an awesome party Ma'am."

Vanilla's thoughts were broken by the sound of Tails' best friend, Sonic. The blue hedgehog was widely acclaimed as the hero, the one who everyone looked up too. Tails and Sonic were inseparable since Tails knew Sonic the best. Tails knew how to read Sonic and respect his particularities. Amy still had a long way to go.

"I think you are old enough to call me Vanilla, Sonic."

A short chuckle came from Sonic as he noticed a look on her face. It was a fake happy smile, one that he had seen on his best friend, his brother even.

"Are you okay?"

Vanilla realized that her inner thoughts were showing on her face. She took a deep breath as she looked at the door.

"Tails said he would show up, but I haven't seen him."

Sonic looked shocked. He kept his voice low so the others wouldn't hear them talking.

"Tails?! You got him to leave his shop?"

Vanilla couldn't help but smile genuinely at Sonic.

"He is fixing an old radio of mine and he told me that he would drop it off at Cream's party."

Sonic shook his head. For years he had been trying to get Tails to come out of his self-induced solitary confinement. One visit from Vanilla and he agrees? Either Sonic was loosing his touch, or maybe Tails has something for Vanilla.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Cream shouted cheerfully, "I'll get it!" and moved towards the door.

When she opened the door, she stood in complete shock. There before her stood Tails, holding onto two small boxes. One was wrapped in simple packing paper, the other wrapped like a birthday present. When everyone looked at the direction of the door and they all stood in shock. Amy had her mouth open, Sonic's eyes were just as wide. Vanilla had the brightest expression her face while her daughter continued to look shocked. The only one who didn't look shocked was Tails himself.

That was only because he was nervous.

His tails were swaying nervously as his facial expression also showed his nervousness. Being in the spotlight like that was something Tails didn't want. He knew that his appearance to anything in public was rare. Taking a deep breath, he smiled as best as he could.

"Happy birthday, Cream."

The birthday girl stood in complete shock until her expression lit up. Without thinking, she lept up and hugged the flying fox. She held him tightly and refused to let him go.

"Tails! You came!"

Smiling a little, he hugged Cream back. The relationship between Tails and Cream was unique. He always looked after her and made sure that she wouldn't get hurt. He also promised himself that until Vanilla was back in her life, he would play that parental role. While Amy was the older sister Cream never had, it was Tails who played the fatherly protective role. Cream's eyes were closed, enjoying the warmth. Tails however looked around at the other guests, and made eye contact with Vanilla.

Vanilla felt her heart, and time, stop. She saw a happiness in her daughter she had not seen in a long time. In all of her years of being a mother, she had never seen her daughter hold a man so tenderly. There was something else that started to flow through her veins. She saw Tails' arms wrapped around her daughter and she became jealous. As much as she loved her daughter, Vanilla wanted to be the one who Tails held like that.

All too quickly, the hug became a grab and Cream dragged Tails into the house. "Look everybody! It's Tails."

Everyone started to gather around Tails. Asking him questions and surrounding him. As Tails watched and listened, he began to feel the familiar signs of an anxiety attack. His blood pressure spiked and he felt the untamable rush of adrenaline. His breathing became shallow and his nervousness began to increase. There was only one person who knew that side of Tails, and he was the one who got his buddy out of there.

"Hey come on guys! Let the man get something to eat."

In a flash, Sonic was in and with Tails, out. They got to the present table and Tails put Cream's gift with the others. After hitting the food table, Tails got to the chilli dogs and began to calm down. Vanilla could only sit on the sidelines as she watched Tails and Sonic eat.

"Thanks, Sonic."

Sonic shook it off and smiled. "It's okay Tails. They're just excited about you being here after all this time."

Tails nodded and he was thankful that his best friend was always there for him. Sonic was with Tails after he fired at Cosmo. Sonic was there when Tails' personality shifted. Sonic knew Tails and he was the first one to tell everyone else to give him space. Even his girlfriend Amy couldn't get in between the friendship between the hedgehog and the fox. If anyone tried, just like Eggman did, heavens help them.

"I know. I actually wasn't planning on showing up at all."

Sonic nodded. Tails always sent a gift to people's birthday, except for Sonic. That was only because Sonic and Tails made a promise, much to Amy's displeasure. Sonic and Tails would meet up at an undisclosed location and be brothers and eat chilli dogs to their hearts content. They would talk about battles past, friends gone, Amy, and each other. The fact that he showed up to Cream's birthday made him suspect something.

"Until Vanilla asked you to show up?"

Tails quickly darted his eyes toward Sonic. They were of surprise. When he made eye contact with Vanilla, he noticed that Sonic was standing right next to her. Tails saw the expression on her pristine face, the way her smile shined, the way her large brown eyes focused right on him. Tails could only imagine what Sonic saw.

"She told you about her radio?"

Sonic smiled and nodded.

"Only that you were fixing an old radio of hers and that you said you'd show up for a little bit."

Tails nodded and blushed, something that Sonic was able to see a mile away. It actually amazed him. He can run so fast sound can't keep up with him, yet Tails' blush seemed to break the speed of light. It then dawned on Sonic the real reason why Tails showed up. He could only guess that Vanilla asked Tails to show up. She must have done something that made him want to show up.

"Tails?"

Tails didn't look at Sonic, but the thoughts raced through his mind. Even with his high IQ, Tails couldn't figure out why he bothered showing up after all. He then did something that he did not think was possible.

"Sonic, remember when we first saw Vanilla after Chaos Control?"

Sonic nodded, not sure where Tails was going with this.

"For a split second, it was like a boyhood crush on my friend's mother. I was amazed by how beautiful she was and how innocent she is."

Sonic narrowed his eyes slightly. He remembered that day well, but he did not notice Tails' reaction. He was just happy that Cream was reunited with her mother, something Sonic can never have again.

"What about..."

A lightbulb turned on in his head, and a prologued "Oh." escaped his lips.

"Sonic, I want you to promise me you will not tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

Giving a firm nod and a grin, that was all Tails needed to see. Sonic and Tails had so much on each other that even one could ruin them in some embarrassing way. Tails could only imagine what Sonic would do if Amy found out how Sonic felt when they were reunited.

"Sonic? Tails?"

They both looked over to see Vanilla standing there. By the look on her face, it looked like that she only just arrived and thus didn't hear anything.

"We're about to open the presents if you two would like to join us?"

Sonic smiled and he looked at Tails, who wasn't. Tails instantly got nervous to the point that he was about to fly away without saying goodbye. Amazingly, Tails didn't.

"I guess I can stay for a little while longer."

Vanilla smiled and for some reason ran up to hug Tails. Sonic watched and he started to make a guess in his mind. Deciding to just nod and walk out of the patio, Sonic could only think to himself.

"_Now I see where Cream gets her charm and love for hugging people from."_

"Thanks Tails, it really means a lot to me."

Vanilla didn't realize what she just said until she said it.

"I mean...it means a lot to Cream."

Tails took a deep breath as he looked into her eyes, slowly pushing her away. She could see the scars under his fur, in his eyes, his heart pounding against his chest. Tails could see the nervousness in her eyes and the blush on her cheeks.

"I didn't come for Cream."


End file.
